Thin film resistors are often used in precision analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog integrated circuits for precision data conversion, which may require precise control of the resistance of the thin film resistor over the operating temperatures and voltages. Often the final fine control of the resistance of these precision thin film resistors must be done using laser trimming. A widely used thin film resistor may be formed, for example, from a deposited layer of nickel and chromium alloy and defined using wet chemical etching to remove unwanted thin film resistor material. However, such wet etching techniques may suffer from dimension control problems such as the formation of a jagged etch on the thin film resistor body, resulting in resistor mismatch. FIG. 1 is a top view of a prior art resistor illustrating the jagged edge 10 on the resistor material 12. Because the width of the thin film resistor can substantially affect the resistance of the thin film resistor, such dimension control problems may impair the ability to construct thin film resistors having a precise resistance and may result in yield losses during manufacturing of precision integrated analog circuits incorporating such thin film resistors.